Shower cabinet base

ABSTRACT

A SHOWER CABINET BASE SHAPED AS A BOX WITH AN ARCHED FLOOR AND AN INTEGRAL WATER DRAIN GUTTER EXTENDING ALONG THREE OR FOUR FLOOR SIDES. THE GUTTER IS U-SHAPED WITH SUBSTANTIAL DEPTH MAKING THE BASE RIGID. THE OUTER GUTTER WALL FORMS A REST FOR THE CABINET WALLS. THE BASE IS SUPPORTED BY LEGS OR A CUSHION ON A FLOOR STAND.

Jan. 5, 1971 N. R. BERGMARK SHOWER CABINET BASE Filed May 25, 1969 FIG. 2 M

FIG.1

3,551,918 SHOWER CABINET BASE Nils Randolf Bergmark, 14 Ringvagen, 930 47 Byske, Sweden Filed May 23, 1969, Ser. No. 827,378 Claims priority, application Sweden, May 30, 1968, 7,282/ 68 Int. Cl. A47k 3/08, 3/13 US. Cl. 4146 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shower cabinet base shaped as a box with an arched floor and an integral water drain gutter extending along three or four floor sides. The gutter is U-shaped with substantial depth making the base rigid. The outer gutter wall forms a rest for the cabinet walls. The base is supported by legs or a cushion on a floor stand.

This invention relates to a shower cabinet base, especially for a shower cabinet delivered as a complete unit.

In the past, it has been customary to make bases for shower cubicles or shower cabinets in the form of water receptacles of glazed tile or plastic. These receptacles have had raised edges and a floor gently sloping downwards-inwards towards a central outlet. The disadvantage with these receptacles is that all the water to be emptied is collected in the centre of the receptacle where the person having a shower stands. This leads to increased risks of skidding. Furthermore, the outlet must be equipped with a decorative strainer of such a shape as not to be unpleasant to tread on. Owing to this, the outlet connection becomes comparatively expensive.

The object of this invention is to eliminate the disadvantages mentioned above and to provide a cheap and functional shower cabinet base. This is achieved by the invention by means of a base in the form of a box, characterized by a gutter extending along at least the greater portion of circumference of the base floor, which gutter collects water and leads the water away through an outlet connection opening in said gutter, the floor of said base being arched upward from said gutter towards the centre of the cabinet.

Such a base with a peripheral gutter is also much easier to keep clean than a base with a central drainage strainer, as it is no longer necessary to wipe the greater part of -the floor but only draw a cloth or a brush along the gutter.

Such a base is advantageously made in one piece, e.g. of glass fibre reinforced plastic. The drain gutter stabilizes the base. The ability of the gutter to stabilize the base is increased if the gutter is integral with said floor.

If the shower cabinet is rectangular, the gutter preferably runs along all the four sides of the base. The outlet connection can then be attached to the inside of the gutter substantially centrally on one of the sides. Alternatively, the gutter runs along three sides, the outlet then being arranged in the gutter part opposite the fourth side. This arrangement is particularly advantageous when the outlet is to be connected to a hose which must be led out from under the space beneath the cabinet.

With the shape described above the base will be so rigid that no special cabinet stand is necessary. The outer gutter wall can directly serve as a fitting or support for the cabinet walls. If the gutter is given the form specified in claim 7 or 8, a very simple connection of the cabinet walls with the base will be possible if the outer gutter wall forms an attachment such as a fitting or a support for the walls of the cabinet, or if the outer gutter wall is extended higher than the inner gutter wall and that the inside of the outer States Tatent O 3,551,918 Patented Jan. 5, 1971 ice gutter Wall is provided with a step for supporting a cabinet wall.

The cabinet is erected at the intended place and made to rest on supporting legs. Fittings for the legs are situated at the inner corners of the gutter and preferably made integral with these. In addition to this, a fitting for a supporting leg can be arranged underneath the centre of the base. This fifth supporting leg assures that the arched shape of the base floor is maintained. Alternatively or additionally, the floor can be made more rigid by means of stiffeners extending diagonally between the corners on the underside of the floor.

Instead of being supported by legs attached to it, as is described above, the base can be supported by a cushion or the like, made e.g. of foamed plastic, and afiixed to a floor stand. The upper side of the cushion is shaped in accordance with the arch of the floor. With a base supported like this, a very simple box without stiffeners can be used since the floor is supported over its entire area. On account of its profiled shape, the gutter is rigid enough to carry the cabinet walls.

The gutter gets an additional function if the gutter part situated at the entrance of the cabinet is used as a guide for the lower part of a curtain or drapery to cover the entrance.

One embodiment of the invention will be described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a shower cabinet base in accordance with the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the base.

The shower cabinet base shown on the drawing consists of a substantially square box 1 of glass fibre reinforced plastic. The floor of the shower cabinet is constituted by an arched floor section 3 of the box, which is preferably made with a hobbed surface to reduce the risk of skidding. A gutter 5 runs along the four edges of the box. The inner gutter wall is continued by the arched floor 3, whereas the outer gutter wall 7 is extended above the inner wall, and is designed with a step 9 as is shown in the right hand section of FIG. 2. On this step 9 the walls of the shower cabinet may rest. Alternatively, the outer gutter wall can be designed with a groove for the lower edge of a cabinet wall, for example constituted by an upturned flange-like tongue 10 extending along the outside of the outer wall. This design is shown inthe left hand section of the drawing.

In the embodiment of the invention shown above, the gutter is made horizontal, i.e. it does not slope towards the outlet 11. The outlet 11 is arranged centrally in one of the sides of the shower cabinet.

Alternatively, without deflecting from the idea of the invention, the bottom of the gutter may be designed with a slope towards the outlet, and this may be arranged otherwise, for instance in a corner. If the water is to be carried off by means of a hose from the outlet to a connection outside the bottom area of the shower cabinet, one of the cabinet sides may, as an alternative, be without gutter or the gutter may be interrupted or shallower at one point.

In the corners of the cabinet at the inside corners of the gutter and underneath the centre of the arched floor 3, internally threaded sockets 13 are embedded. In these sockets supporting legs 15 and a supporting leg 17, respectively, may be screwed in. The legs 15 at the corners of the cabinet are adjusted'so as to make the base horizontal, and the leg 17 is adjusted to allow the preservation of the arch of the floor 3 even under load. The drawing shows one embodiment where the legs are adjustable from the upper side of the cabinet floor through holes made in the box above the leg sockets. The legs 15 and the leg 17, respectively, may thus be adjusted by means of a screwdriver or the like. When the adjustment is completed, the holes are plugged with taps 19 and 21, respectively.

Stabilizing profiles 23, which are also connected with the central leg socket, run diagonally between the leg sockets in the corners of the box.

A simpler way of supporting the box than the one mentioned above can be achieved by means of a foamed plastic cushion affixed to an adjustable floor stand. The upper side of the cushion is shaped in accordance with the under side of the cushion is shaped in accordance with the under side of the arched floor and it thus supports the loaded surface over its entire area, for which reason stiffeners in the box can be made simpler or wholly dispensed with. Neither does the box need fastening devices for legs. Furthermore, adjustment of the horizontal position is simplified, since it may be performed on the floor stand before the cabinet is erected.

The gutter part situated at the entrance of the cabinet can preferably be used as a guide for the lower part of a curtain which may be equipped with weights or guide elements and used to cover the entrance while the cabinet is in use.

What I claim is:

1. A box-shaped shower cabinet base having upstanding walls forming a gutter extending along at least the greater portion of the circumference of the base floor, said gutter collects water and leads the water away through an out- 2 let connection opening in said gutter, said base floor being arched upward from said gutter towards the center of the cabinet for draining said cabinet base.

2. A base as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said gutter is integral with said floor.

3. A base as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said gutter is substantially U-shaped in section with an inner U-leg at its upper part being continued by the periphery of the floor.

4. A base as claimed in claim 3 having a substantially rectangular shape, characterized in that said gutter extends long all four sides of the base.

5. A base as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said outlet connection is arranged at an inner gutter wall substantially centrally on one of said base sides.

6. A base as claimed in claim 3 having a substantially rectangular shape, characterized in that said gutter extends along three base sides and that said outer connection is located in a gutter portion opposite the fourth base side.

7. A base as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that 4 an outer gutter wall forms an attachment fitting for the walls of a cabinet.

8. A base as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that said outer gutter wall is extended higher than said inner gutter wall and that the inside of said outer gutter wall is provided with a step for supporting a cabinet wall.

9. A base as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the upper portion of said outer gutter wall is provided with a groove extending along the wall on its outside, said groove serving as footing for the bottom edge of a cabinet Wall.

10. A base as claimed in claim 3, characterized by fittings for base supporting legs, said fittings being located at said gutter inner corners.

11. A base as claimed in claim 10, characterized by a fitting for a base supporting leg located beneath said floors center.

12. A base as claimed in claim 10, characterized by stiffening means extending diagonally between the corners on the under side of the floor.

13. A base as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that said fittings and stiffening means are integral with said base.

14. A base as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said base is supported by a cushion member arranged on a floor stand, said cushion member having an upper surface shaped in conformity with said arched base floor.

15. A base as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that said cushion member is made of foamed plastic.

16. A base as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that a gutter portion at the cabinet entrance forms a guide for the lower portion'of an entrance curtain.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,329,994 2/1920 Osborn 4-146 1,416,270 5/1922 Deming 4146 2,079,739 5/ 1937 Houseweller 4-173 2,757,385 8/1956 Whittick 4-146 3,363,267 1/1968 Kaiser et al. 4146 3,457,568 7/1969 Amatruda 4206X 3,501,879 3/1970 Mitchell et al. 4-146X LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52l98 

